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Age of Empires: Mythologies
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
One year after the events of FINAL FANTASY XII, the young protagonist Vaan travels the skies of Ivalice with his trusted navigator Penelo at his side. Their treasure hunting adventures take them to the sky continent of Lemurés where they meet Llyud, a member of the aegyl race. These mysterious winged people have been living on the floating continent for centuries, but a disturbance has allowed treasure-seeking sky pirates to breach their once-hidden territory. It falls to Vaan and his band of young sky pirates to stand up against the trespassers, and defend this extraordinary world and its people.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 96
Cheat Code Central
It could easily be my pick for the best DS game this year because it seems to have all the right ingredients: A great story, unique gameplay, killer visuals, and a fantastic score. All of these elements combine to create the best gaming experience on the DS this year, and it's no wonder that this precious gem came from the folks at Square-Enix. It's an absolute joy to play, and I can't overstate my satisfaction with this game.
 94
GameBrink
Revenant Wings offers some fresh gameplay for the mammoth RPG series and while the dominant RTS element may not be for everyone, it’s certainly been simplified a lot to offer a good 30 entertaining hours or so.
91
Official Nintendo Magazine UK
The disappointing lack of multiplayer modes aside, this is almost the perfect strategy package. [Feb 2008, p.62]
90
Worth Playing
This is well worth a DS owner’s time, and easily one of the best things Square-Enix has published for the system.
90
GamePro
It's an interesting addition to the Final Fantasy franchise and proof that Square Enix can deliver a good title that doesn't fall back on RPG conventions. [Dec 2007, p.132]
90
AceGamez
The RTS gameplay may be different to the standard RPG found in the most Japanese entry in the series, but the light-hearted nature of the game and the fact that it is so different to the original, while still retaining many key elements, makes them feel identical.
90
Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
The usual audience will be captivated by its story, that’s complemented with some great real time strategy mechanics. Just trying to unlock all of the elemental Espers will make you addicted. [Apr 2008]
88
NGamer UK
Witty story, great characters and a bite-size battle system that's ideal for DS. You can't fail to be impressed by this, regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Final Fantasy. [Mar 2008, p.50]
87
Games Master UK
Doesn't knock "Advance Wars" from the strategy throne, but a must for FF nuts. [Mar 2008, p.74]
87
IGN AU
It has as much depth as we can ask for a true real-time RTS based in Ivalice, with some of the best production values this side of a first-party Nintendo release.
87
Pelit (Finland)
A very good fantasy-RTS slash -RPG with heavy emphasis on the RTS-side of things. The difficulty level seems to be all over the place and the story is quite dull, though. [Apr 2008]
85
GameSpot
Just as Final Fantasy Tactics did nearly 10 years ago, Revenant Wings successfully takes the series into uncharted waters in an unforgettable way.
85
Play Magazine
You never get the impression that there's something lacking, but experienced RTS fans may hunger for something more challenging. [Nov 2007, p.76]
85
Deeko
Overall, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings is a solid game.
85
Hardcore Gamer Magazine
In short: come for Balthier, stay for the solid gameplay. It's a win-win situation. [Dec 2007, p.63]
85
GameZone
While the controls take some getting used to (especially if you’re a southpaw), there is plenty of fun to be had in Revenant Wings.
83
IGN
We’ve got a few gripes with the design, as units will often bunch together, enemy AI still isn’t too bright, and the linear feel makes it easy to stock up on units and then run your blob of fighters from beginning to end with little challenge – at least during the first half of the game – but as an overall product Revenant Wings is nothing short of impressive.
83
Game Revolution
While the difficulty of Revenant Wings could be dialed up a notch or two for experienced gamers, it’s a fun, great-looking game that will keep you occupied for fifteen to twenty hours.
81
RPG Fan
While Revenant Wings may be little more than a handheld equivalent to Final Fantasy X-2, it does what it was meant to do quite well.
80
Zentendo
Revenant Wings is fairly challenging, especially in the last three chapters, as well as all the last optional quests to unlock the hidden Scions (Rank III Espers) and one that powers up a weapon each time you complete it (though it consists of 10 missions). Brute forcing will work to an extent, but selecting appropriate Espers and learning to pick off enemy units slowly and one at a time are crucial to success later on.
80
Gamer.nl
Square Enix seems to have put considerable time in the development of Revenant Wings. You notice that right away from the quality of the graphics and music. We would have liked a deeper fighting system, but since this is a handheld game, it might have been the right choice to keep things simple. We're sure fans of the franchise will have a great time playing this and newcomers will have no problem picking this up.
80
Gaming Nexus
All in all, the game is a great addition to the collection of any fan of Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy XII because it melds the two games together seemlessly.
80
VideoGamer
Most importantly, DS owners in general who are looking for something a little different will find Revenant Wings loads of fun. It's perfect for a medium length commute, never gets too complicated and has an excellent learning curve.
80
EuroGamer
For fans of Final Fantasy XII, it is a wonderful continuation of the story - a welcome chance to revisit well-loved locations and characters.
80
Pocket Gamer UK
Bright, beautiful and extremely playable, Revenant Wings breathes new life into the portable line of Final Fantasies.
80
GameSpy
Though it has a few blemishes, Revenant Wings still manages to be a good deal of fun. The way combat is handled is logical and enjoyable, making up for the missteps.
80
GameDaily
3-D environments look terrific, although the character sprites lack the same flair, and the soundtrack is classic Final Fantasy. Fans of the franchise or RTS games should definitely pick this up.
80
1UP
Thanks to some tough (but never unreasonably frustrating) battles, a healthy dose of fan service, and a quality localization, Revenant Wings is a thoroughly enjoyable hybrid. It's hardly the second coming of Final Fantasy XII...but somehow manages to turn that into a strength anyway.
80
Gameplayer
The best RTS on DS!
80
GamerNode
Final Fantasy fans should pick this game up. Despite its simplicity there is still much to be enjoyed in this game. Accept it for what it is, and you'll find yourself smiling as you journey with Vaan and Co. once again.
78
Gamer 2.0
The battle system isn't perfect by any means, but it works out a lot better than it did in Heroes of Mana. A lot of the DS strategy games lack the ability for the user to turn the map around to view things from a different angle, and that's where all of these games, including Revenant Wings, falter.
78
The New York Times
While Wings recreates the feel of combat in Final Fantasy XII, it also does too good a job of recreating the feel of that game’s story, with an equally dull plot and bland characters. I always enjoyed playing the game, but I never had any interest in what was going on in the story.
78
Destructoid
A fine alternative RTS that expands upon an already fantastic universe and one of Final Fantasy's most compelling stories and casts to date. But while their grip on the gameplay end of things has improved dramatically over Heroes of Mana, Wings makes a few mistakes that keep things a little less strategy and a little more mob slaughter.
77
Jolt Online Gaming UK
While the RTS battles are nicely contained within a chirpy story dripping with quality presentation, this never fully compensates for the limitations of its combat engine.
75
Nintendo Power
Fortunately, a great storyline makes it easy to keep going in spite of the uneven difficulty. [Holiday 2007, p.84]
75
Game Informer
Even though Revenant Wings isn’t an outstanding title, it still manages to do something remarkable: It’s a playable and fun handheld RTS – and probably the first of its kind.
75
Gaming Age
A fun take on the series, especially if you can overlook some of the poor judgment in the control of the game. With how good the game looks, and all of the different types of espers that can be recruited, players can get really creative with their armies.
72
Electronic Gaming Monthly
It's not perfect--the difficulty spikes randomly throughout and spamming units produces easy victories--but it's a step up from "Heroes of Mana". [Holiday 2007, p.87]
70
Gamervision
I generally like games to focus as much on story as they do on the fighting, but the fact that this is so mission-heavy is one of the things that distinguishes it from its predecessor.
70
GotNext
Revenant Wings remains a fun, simple, moderately challenging RTS for the DS. It doesn’t add anything vital to the original game’s storyline, nor is it of the same caliber of storytelling, though for how lighthearted it may feel, its simplicity will welcome newcomers to RTS games with open arms.
65
PALGN
Perfect for the easy goers and newcomers of the genre, serious strategy role-playing game fans should look elsewhere for Square Enix flavoured depth and challenge.
60
Edge Magazine
The solid presentation and well-adjusted linear flow of the game make it simple, if mindless, fun. [Jan 2008, p.85]
60
Modojo
When a game is supposed to be strategic, I expect strategy... and when it fails in that regard, I personally cannot believe it's a great game. That's not to say FFXII: RW is bad or that it isn't competently designed, it's just that it could have been much more and it's sort of infuriating to know it isn't.
60
games(TM)
The game is still fun to play, and never becomes frustrating or dislikeable, but it never quite achieves the potential it so obviously holds. [Apr 2008, p.118]
Micah D. gave it a10: Sifte AF gave it a10: |
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